TravelingMatt wrote:Not a summit, and not even Colorado, but Wikipedia has the classic photo of the throngs going up Half Dome. The original is larger if you need it.

See now that just pisses me off. Get in line and summit like the other 50,000 people today. No thank you.

"Mountains seem to answer an increasing imaginative need in the West. More and more people are discovering a desire for them, and a powerful solace in them. At bottom, mountains, like all wildernesses, challenge our complacent conviction - so easy to lapse into - that the world has been made for humans by humans. Most of us exist for most of the time in worlds which are humanly arranged, themed and controlled. One forgets that there are environments which do not respond to the flick of a switch or the twist of a dial, and which have their own rhythms and orders of existence. Mountains correct this amnesia. By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage, mountains refute our excessive trust in the man-made. They pose profound questions about our durability and the importance of our schemes. They induce, I suppose, a modesty in us."― Robert Macfarlane

mrburns wrote: How do people hike in jeans? I know it is just G & T, but isn't it super uncomfortable?

They dont know any better....

Really?

Why do you find it more logical to assume that "they're unable to dress for personal comfort" or "anyone without the same clothing preferences as me must be ignorant/irrational" than "different things are comfortable to different people (different morphologies, metabolisms, needs)"? Oh wait, here's why. What about hiking in leather pants? Arguably the oldest clothing material still in use despite cheaper materials and with good reason.

You know what Europeans call a grown man wearing shorts? An American. A skirt? A Scotsman.

This is as crowded as I've seen though there were quite a few more coming up as I started the down climb section. I'm sure I'll see more people on Pikes, Evans, or Longs. (Click photo for full 360° panorama and full screen option)

So much hate towards popular summits. What is it about hiking that attracts so many misanthropes? Smile, it's fun to hang out with people on the summit! If you want solitude you have thousands of other desolate options to choose from. Heck, you can even choose to not do the cattle trails and be all by yourself until you reach the top!

- A mountain is not a checkbox to be ticked- Alpinism and mountaineering are not restricted to 14,000 foot mountains- Judgment and experience are the two most important pieces of gear you own- Being honest to yourself and others about your abilities is a characteristic of experienced climbers- Courage cannot be bought at REI or carried with you in your rucksack

crossfitter wrote:So much hate towards popular summits. What is it about hiking that attracts so many misanthropes? Smile, it's fun to hang out with people on the summit! If you want solitude you have thousands of other desolate options to choose from. Heck, you can even choose to not do the cattle trails and be all by yourself until you reach the top!

I love it - I don't aim to go out and climb 14ers much anymore but when I do, I love seeing the peoples and talking and sharing stories.

There is a gargantuan difference between running into a few people here and there, and being able to smell the B.O. and gas of the 50 hikers in front of you and behind you. I don't mind sharing summits, but not with a herd of 100+ people. I'm not sure where I draw my line but it's definitely before 100. Everyone has their own personal gauge of what is "crowded" and what is not. If I have to worry about my camera getting stolen, that's a crowd.

"Mountains seem to answer an increasing imaginative need in the West. More and more people are discovering a desire for them, and a powerful solace in them. At bottom, mountains, like all wildernesses, challenge our complacent conviction - so easy to lapse into - that the world has been made for humans by humans. Most of us exist for most of the time in worlds which are humanly arranged, themed and controlled. One forgets that there are environments which do not respond to the flick of a switch or the twist of a dial, and which have their own rhythms and orders of existence. Mountains correct this amnesia. By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage, mountains refute our excessive trust in the man-made. They pose profound questions about our durability and the importance of our schemes. They induce, I suppose, a modesty in us."― Robert Macfarlane

Several years ago was a very heavy winter. The keyhole route was classified as "technical" late into the year. Unfortunately just days before I went to hike it, RMNP announced that the snow had melted enough that the route was no longer technical. We hadn't heard that announcement, but we began to suspect something when we signed the register at 1:30 in the morning and we were the 18th group to sign in that day. We passed 25 people on our way to watch the sunrise from the summit. We thought that was bad, then we headed down. It was nuts. The trough was a constant roar of people yelling "rock". When we got to the Keyhole it was littered with people waiting their turn to pass through.